News Taffy

I have survived my first fierce New York City winter. And I am beyond ready to see the flowers of Spring!! I have seriously considered a bon fire where I torch my black goose down goat, hat, gloves, scarf and winter boots! If I never see them again, it would be fine with me. There are finally signs of life around the city as the forsythia is beginning to bloom in Central Park and the tulips and buttercups are blooming around Columbus Circle. However, Macy's Department store in Herald Square got a jump on the season recently with their annual flower show.

The first floor entrance off of Broadway that encompasses the entire cosmetics department is the backdrop for the event. The area is divided into ten different gardens. The gardens included were tropical, English cottage, hydrangea, orchid/bromeliad, antebellum, Japanese, urban oasis, miniature, desert and rooftop. There was also a Towers of Flowers Centerpiece and a Bouquet of the Day. It was breathtaking to see such magnificent arrangements of flowers, trees and bushes confined into one space.

I opted out of the 20 minute tour with an overly perky Macy's tour guide armed with a portable microphone. And instead, wandered around like a star stuck tourist with two cameras hanging around my neck! One minute I would be admiring a beautiful blooming azalea bush and then I'd be sampling the latest eye cream from La Prairie. The marketing people knew who their audience was and the location was sheer perfection. You could admire the amazingly colorful flowers and then translate that inspiration into some new cosmetics for Spring. In addition to the gardens, there were also many floral presentations and seminars offered through the 15 day event. They offered everything from seminars in cooking and floral arranging to live music for the guys, children's book readings and a best dressed pet contest. I really hate that I missed that because New Yorkers take dressing their four legged friends very seriously!

As many of my Arkansas friends have told me, Spring has sprung in Arkansas. We are just beginning to see the light at the very long tunnel of winter here in the city. The Macy's Flower Show was my first real glimpse at the beauty that always springs into action this time of year. But for me, it vanishes way too quickly and before we know it, we are into the dog days of summer.

Until next time,
D.J. Duckworth